


Post Obliuio

by Flamingbluepanda



Category: Torchwood
Genre: Exhaustion, Fluff, Gen, Ianto Jones Needs a Hug, Jack is there to give hugs, Post Audio: Ex Machina, The aftermath of Trauma, Torchwood Ex Machina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-22
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:28:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26600668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flamingbluepanda/pseuds/Flamingbluepanda
Summary: After forgetting, Ianto finds his family and goes home.
Relationships: Jack Harkness/Ianto Jones
Comments: 8
Kudos: 56





	Post Obliuio

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to Ex Machina this morning and holy shit, it is SO good. It's a fantastic story and it gave me MANY ianto emotions, so I had to write this. There are spoilers in here but not very many, so if you're like me and don't care have fun!
> 
> This is unbetaed, because my beta DOES care about spoilers. Dedicated to the fabulous Myo, who let me listen to her copy of the audio!! you're the best!

It starts, as most things in Ianto’s life do, with a cup of coffee. 

He’s just waking up the machine when Andy calls, so he stays in the hub while the others go. He cleans a little while the percolator brews then sits at Jack’s desk with the proper incident forms once his cup is ready. He puts in what little things Andy told them- the witness’ name is Abigail, she’s reporting missing par-

And suddenly, he can’t remember what she’s reporting. Which is a mindfuck, since he has a photographic memory and he’s never forgotten something five minutes after…

After…

There’s something he’s forgetting. No.  _ Someone.  _ Multiple someones. Black holes that are so blatant, like a loose thread in a sweater he can’t stop pulling at.

_ Jack,  _ he thinks, desperately trying to keep hold of frantic kisses and panting breaths, the desperate and fragile  _ thing  _ they’d started.  _ Jack, Jack, Ja- _

And then Ianto doesn’t care about much of anything. He has a city to protect, after all.

He pulls on the coat on the coatrack next to him. He’d thought it was too warm for it earlier, but suddenly he felt a chill. 

* * *

Two weeks. That’s how long it took for Abigail to find him and make him realize that everything is wrong in the world.

He can’t remember his teammates. He wants to, which is why he performs  _ surgery  _ on a girl’s arm when he has exactly zero medical experience outside of caring for his half converted girlfriend. 

After, as things start to seep back in, Abigail mentions her. Lisa. His reason for… everything, really. 

Not his only reason, anymore, but still. His reason. 

He watches Abigail walk away, and he sighs. He thinks about the HUB, so messy after two weeks of not caring. He thinks about all the paperwork he has to do and the flat he hasn’t been back to in two weeks. He thinks about Jack and the others.

And suddenly, he feels like a brick slams into his chest. His knees buckle and he fights to stay standing. He’s so  _ tired,  _ when was the last time he slept? Or ate a proper meal? He can’t remember, and he doesn’t think it’s because of the blob. 

His phone buzzes in his pocket, and Ianto swallows, pulling it out and hitting the answer button. “Ianto Jones.” 

_ “Please tell me you know who I am.” _

Ianto laughs without humor and shakes his head. “Hello, Jack.”

_ “Good! What’s happened in the last two weeks? Also, have you seen my coat? I’m assuming since we’re back you dealt with Abigail.”  _

“A lot, I have it, and yes.” Ianto sits on a bench behind him and sighs, feeling like he could fall asleep right here. “Can we — can we maybe debrief later, Jack? I don’t actually remember the last time I slept.”

_ “Hold on a minute, I’ll be right up.” _

Jack hangs up and Ianto lets his arm drop back to his side. He considers just closing his eyes and going to sleep — anything would be easier than trying to explain the last two weeks to someone who wasn’t there. Stealing cars, hunting weevils, dealing with Myfanwy, and anything else that came through. He’d honestly thought that he was- 

“Ianto?”

He forces his eyes open to see Jack and Owen standing over him. Owen has a scanner and is frowning. Jack smirks at him “love the coat.” 

Ianto rolls his eyes, then groans when it makes his tired head spin. Owen steps forward. 

“Alright teaboy, when was the last time you ate something other than biscuits?” 

“Uh,” Ianto replies eloquently, and Owen rolls his eyes. “Right. Why exactly didn’t you pop out for a proper meal?”

“Other than almost everything being closed or disappeared?” Ianto shakes his head. “I physically couldn’t Owen. I was run off my feet- if it wasn’t weevils it was a rift alert if it wasn’t that it was Myfanwy and if it wasn’t that it was-“ 

_ Flat Holm.  _ Ianto bites the inside of his cheek and leaned forward, hoping that would keep him awake. “I was busy.”

“What do you mean, disappeared?” Jack asks. 

“The alien was in love with her. It was helping her forget a terrible ex, so if she saw a restaurant she went to with him-“ 

“It made the restaurant go away.” Ianto nods are Jack’s answer, and a warm hand comes to rest on the nape of his neck.

“Let’s get you home,” Jack says softly. “The rest can wait, right?”

“No signs of alien shit, should be good to go.” Owen’s voice was surprisingly soft. “Get out of here, Ianto. You need to sleep.”

Ianto laughs, nodding and forcing himself to stand up. “Let me get my-“

He looked down at the coat, then up at the midday sun. He sighs “I can’t go to bed yet. I’ll be up at three am.”

“With how tired you are? You’ll sleep right till tomorrow morning.” Owen insists, but Ianto shakes his head. 

“Let me just make some coffee. I can fill out reports while you lot do the running around.  _ Please?”  _

He looks at Jack, and he hopes Jack can hear what he isn’t saying. 

_ Please don’t make me be alone. _

Jack nods quietly, then leads him inside.

Ianto makes a cup of coffee, he sits on the couch and just watches his fa- his  _ friends  _ move around the HUB. 

Gwen comes over to him at one point, smiling. “I just got off the phone with Rhys. Thank you for saving us.”

“Thanks for directing her my way,” Ianto smiles at her, clutching his mug like it was a life preserver. 

Gwen kisses his cheek. “I couldn’t think of anyone better suited to help her.”

Ianto thinks it’s far more likely that he was the last one left, but he appreciates her saying so. 

* * *

Jack finally convinces him to leave around six. Tosh hugs him on the way out and thanks him for not ruining her computer systems. Gwen kisses his cheek again.

Jack insists on driving, claiming Ianto would be a danger on the road with how exhausted he is. Ianto doesn’t protest, for once.

They stop on the way to Ianto’s flat for Thai food. Jack pays. Ianto sits in the front seat and eats his Pad Thai from the container. They don’t talk.

They get to Ianto’s and he stares at the building for a long moment.

“Ianto?” Jack looks at him curiously, and Ianto looks at him. “I didn’t even remember this place existed. It’s- I  _ live  _ here.” 

“Aliens. They mess with everything.” Jack deadpans, and Ianto snorts out a laugh as he unlocks his front door.

He kicks off his shoes, not caring about where they end up. Jack shifts “do you wanna eat some more?” 

“Do you?” Ianto glances at him “when was the last time you ate?”

“Two weeks ago. Or a few hours, depending on how you think of it.” Jack shrugs. “I’m fine. I’m worried about  _ you —  _ you’re quiet but… not this quiet.” 

Ianto shuffles his feet, wanting to melt through the floor and collapse. 

“I… I thought I was hunting Lisa’s killer.”

Jack is silent, so Ianto keeps talking. “I built them up in my mind, hated them. For two weeks that was what kept me going. And then it… it’s you. And I can’t hate you anymore.” 

“I’m sorry,” Jack says, stepping forward and wrapping Ianto in a tight hug. “I’m so sorry.”

He didn’t specify for what, and Ianto didn’t want him to. He presses his face into Jack’s shoulder, feeling warm.

“Let’s get you in bed,” Jack says softly. “You’re about to pass out.”

Ianto lets himself be led to the bedroom and stripped. For the first time, he realizes that every other time Jack’s seen him naked it’s been for the explicit purpose of sex. 

“You must hate this,” Ianto comments. Jack frowns at him. “What do you mean?”

“Getting me naked without the promise of sex. Must be horribly boring.” 

Ianto’s mostly joking, honest, but Jack gives him a very serious look and says “I’m taking care of you. That’s not boring.” 

He goes to the en suite and comes back with a warm washcloth. Ianto takes it from him and washes his face and under his arms, then runs it along the back of his neck. He can get the rest tomorrow. 

He looks up to find Jack in his boxers, folding his clothes and setting them on Ianto’s dresser. Ianto blinks at him. “You’re staying?”

“You don’t want to be alone,” Jack says, and, well, he’s right. Ianto climbs under the covers, and Jack climbs in on the other side. 

It’s horribly domestic, and Ianto is sure that he’ll freak out about it after he’s slept. 

Jack shuts off the light, settling on his back. Ianto flips onto his stomach just like always, groaning at the ability to stretch out. “Fuck, I  _ hate  _ that sofa.”

“It isn’t meant for sleeping on,” Jack chuckles. “I really am sorry, you shouldn’t have had to deal with everything alone.”

“‘S not your fault,” Ianto yawns, bringing his pillow close to his face. “It was kinda nice. Feeling important.”

Jack shakes his shoulder, and Ianto looks at him. 

“You are important,” Jack says, eyes and tone very serious. “You know that, right?” 

Ianto hums, finally nodding off. Jack prods him again. “Ianto, hey. C’mon, you know that you’re important, right? We all care about you…” 

Ianto hums again, shifting closer to Jack’s warmth. “Yeah. I know.” 

_ My friends,  _ he’d muttered as Abigail walked away. Jack’s arm came to rest around his back, and Ianto would blame it on exhaustion later— 

But he mentally changed that to  _ my family.  _

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr is www.flamingbluepanda.tumblr.com, and because she's SO amazing you should also say hi to myo at www.myotishia.tumblr.com
> 
> I love you all, bye!!!!


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